JP2005070618A - Image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming device in which jammed paper is easily removed without detaching an intra-body tray at the time of paper jamming or the like while preventing the deformation of the intra-body tray arranged in the inside space of the body. <P>SOLUTION: A supporting member 19 for supporting the weight of the intra-body tray 8 on a normal position is attached to the free end of the intra-body tray 8 arranged on the inside space of the body so as to be oscillated between a normal position and a down position while pivoting one side of the tray 8 on the device body so that the supporting member 19 can be oscillated and retreated when the intra-body tray 8 is moved to the down position. The supporting member 19 is energized to a direction opposite to the retreating direction by an energization means 21. The supporting member 19 is retreated interlocking with the releasing operation of a fixing/releasing mechanism 10 for fixing and releasing the intra-body tray 8 on/from the device body. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a facsimile machine, and a printer having a support structure for an in-cylinder tray disposed in an in-cylinder space of the apparatus body.

  For example, the following is known as an image forming apparatus in which a cylinder tray is disposed in a cylinder space of the apparatus main body. That is, in this image forming apparatus, the outer shape of the apparatus main body is formed by the main body housing, and this main body housing is formed so as to enter inward in the substantially horizontal direction on the front surface and one side surface of the apparatus main body. An in-cylinder space in which a part of the front surface and one side surface is opened is formed. The bottom surface of this cylinder space is a paper discharge tray for discharging the paper after recording an image, and a cylinder tray for performing stapling is arranged near the middle of the cylinder space above it. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

  As an image forming apparatus in which a support member is provided on an in-cylinder tray disposed in the in-cylinder space, for example, the following is known. That is, this image forming apparatus uses a flat support member, and inserts the upper end portion of the support member into a locking recess provided on the lower surface of the in-cylinder tray, and the lower end portion of the support member is inserted into the in-cylinder space. The structure is such that the end of the in-body tray that is not supported by the apparatus main body is supported by being inserted into a locking recess provided on the bottom surface (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

JP 2001-48403 A (page 8-10, FIG. 1-2) JP 2002-20021 (pages 22-23, FIG. 3, FIG. 14)

  In the image forming apparatus described in Patent Document 1, the in-cylinder tray is disposed in the in-cylinder space in which a part of the front surface and one side surface of the apparatus main body is opened. It is not supported, and has a structure that is supported only by a portion facing the rear surface and the other side surface of the apparatus main body. For this reason, there is a problem that the in-body tray may be deformed due to the weight of the paper placed on the in-body tray or a change with time, and the unsupported portion may hang down.

  On the other hand, in the image forming apparatus described in Patent Document 2, such a deformation of the in-body tray can be prevented by the support member of the in-body tray. However, the internal space is narrowed by arranging the internal tray in the internal space, and the space between the internal tray and the ceiling surface of the internal space may be difficult for the user to access. Many. Therefore, when a paper jam or the like occurs, there is a problem that it is troublesome because it is necessary to remove the in-body tray each time in order to widen the space and remove the jammed paper.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to remove the in-cylinder tray in the case of a paper jam or the like while preventing deformation of the in-cylinder tray disposed in the in-cylinder space. Another object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus that can easily remove jammed paper.

  In order to achieve the above object, the first characteristic configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention is arranged in the in-cylinder space, and one side is pivotally supported by the apparatus main body so as to be swingable between a normal position and a lowered position. A support member for supporting the weight of the in-cylinder tray at the normal position is provided at the free end of the in-cylinder tray so as to swing and retract when the in-cylinder tray is moved to the lowered position. In the point.

  According to the first characteristic configuration, in the state where the cylinder tray is in the normal position, the free end of the cylinder tray is supported by the support member. The inner tray can be prevented from being deformed due to, for example, and the supporting member can be swung and retracted to swing the inner tray about the portion pivotally supported by the apparatus main body to the lowered position. It can be moved. Therefore, the cylinder tray can be moved downward without removing the cylinder tray within the cylinder space, so that it is possible to easily perform a paper removal operation or the like when a paper jam occurs.

  A second characteristic configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention is that, in addition to the first characteristic configuration, the support member is biased in a direction opposite to the retracting direction by a biasing unit.

  According to this second characteristic configuration, when the support member is retracted, the urging force acts in a direction opposite to the retracting direction. Therefore, when the in-body tray swings about its one side supported by its own weight and moves to the lowered position, the urging force of the urging means prevents the in-body tray from moving. Since it acts via a support member, the abrupt movement of the in-cylinder tray can be prevented, and the impact that collides with the lower part of the in-cylinder tray in the in-cylinder space can be mitigated.

  According to a third characteristic configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention, in addition to the first or second characteristic configuration, the in-body tray has a fixing / release mechanism that fixes and releases the main body. The support member is retracted in conjunction with the release operation of the fixing / release mechanism.

  According to the third feature configuration, the support member is also retracted simply by performing the operation of releasing the fixation of the in-body tray with respect to the apparatus main body by the fixing / releasing mechanism, so that the in-body tray can be moved. The user's operation can be further simplified.

  According to a fourth characteristic configuration of the image forming apparatus of the invention, in addition to the third characteristic configuration, the support member and the fixing / releasing mechanism are configured to perform a releasing operation from the fixing / releasing mechanism to the supporting member. In the interlocking, it is connected through a one-way transmission mechanism that transmits force only in the retracting direction of the support member.

  According to the fourth characteristic configuration, when the fixing / releasing mechanism is operated in the releasing direction, the force in the retracting direction is transmitted to the support member to move in the retracting direction, and the weight of the in-body tray and the user When a force in the retracting direction is applied to the support member by manual operation or the like, the support member can be retracted regardless of the operation of the fixing / releasing mechanism.

  According to a fifth characteristic configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention, in addition to any one of the first to fourth characteristic configurations, the support member is formed on a front end portion of the surface surrounding the cylinder space. A flat support surface that is in contact with a part of the support surface and a sliding surface having a substantially arc-shaped cross section that is continuously formed in a direction opposite to the retracting direction of the support surface.

  According to the fifth characteristic configuration, when the support member is in contact with a part of the surface surrounding the in-body space by the support surface, the support member is in contact with each other, so that the support member is in the support position. The sliding surface can be maintained even when the weight of the in-body tray is applied after the support member is moved in the retracting direction and the fixing at the support position is released. The retraction operation can be smoothly performed while sliding with a part of the surface surrounding the in-cylinder space by the curved surface having a substantially arc-shaped cross section. Therefore, the support member can be automatically retracted by the weight of the in-body tray after the support member is slightly moved from the support position in the retract direction.

[First Embodiment]
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the present embodiment, a case where the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present invention is applied to a copying machine will be described. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an overall configuration of an image forming apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a view of an in-body tray 8 of the image forming apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention and its periphery. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a trunk space 2.

(Inner body space)
As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment is provided with a reading unit 4 for reading an image of a document on the upper part of the apparatus main body 3, and the apparatus main body below the reading unit 4. An in-body space 2 is formed in which the front surface and the right side surface of 3 are open. Although not shown, an image forming unit for forming and fixing a toner image on a sheet by an electrophotographic method is provided in the apparatus on the left and lower left of the cylinder space 2. Below, a paper feed unit 6 that takes out paper from the paper cassette 5 and conveys it to the image forming unit is provided, and these are covered by a main body housing that forms the outer shape of the apparatus main body 3. As shown in FIG. 2, the bottom surface 2a of the in-body space 2 has a discharge tray 7 in which the main body housing is formed in a tray shape and the sheet after image formation by the image forming unit is discharged. . Furthermore, the left side surface 2b and the back surface 2c of the in-body space 2 are also constituted by a main body housing. Accordingly, the bottom surface 2a, the left side surface 2b, and the back surface 2c that surround these in-body spaces 2 are also included in the concept of the apparatus main body 3 in the present invention.

(In-body tray)
Further, in this in-cylinder space 2, an in-cylinder tray 8 formed in a substantially rectangular flat plate shape having a shape substantially equal to the cross-sectional shape of the in-cylinder space 2 is provided. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the in-body tray 8, and FIGS. 4A and 4B are right side views of the in-body tray 8 and the in-body space 2. One side of the in-body tray 8 is pivotally supported so as to be swingable with respect to the apparatus main body 3. That is, as shown in FIG. 2 to FIG. 4, a support shaft 9 having a central axis parallel to the back surface 8 a constituting one side of the in-body tray 8 is provided. It is configured to be pivotally supported with respect to the back surface 2c. As a result, the in-body tray 8 can swing between a normal position that is substantially horizontal as shown in FIG. 4A and a lowered position shown in FIG. 4B below. Yes. Here, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the support shaft 9 is partially provided in the vicinity of both end portions of the back surface 8 a of the in-body tray 8, and a bracket 11 for supporting the support shaft 9 is supported. It is configured to project from the back surface 2 c of the in-body space 2 at a position corresponding to the position of the shaft 9.

  The in-body tray 8 shown in the drawing of the present embodiment is an example of a staple processing tray for collecting a predetermined number of sheets after image formation and binding them with staples. Accordingly, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the in-body tray 8 includes width adjusting members 12, 13 disposed on the front side and the back side of the placement surface 8b on which the paper is placed, And a leading member 14 disposed on the right side of the surface 8b. Each time a sheet of paper after image formation is placed, the width adjusting members 12, 13 and the leading member 14 are respectively loaded. A process of aligning the paper at a predetermined position by operating toward the center of the placement surface 8b is performed. Then, when a preset number of sheets are placed, the width adjusting members 12 and 13 and the leading member 14 are further operated to move the sheets to the staple position by the stapler 15 and bind the staples. I do. The in-body tray 8 in the present invention is not limited to such a staple processing tray, and may have any function as long as it is a tray disposed in the in-body space 2. It is also possible to use a separator tray or a discharge tray.

(Fixing / releasing mechanism)
The in-body tray 8 includes a fixing / releasing mechanism 10 that fixes and releases the apparatus body 3. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the fixing / releasing mechanism 10 is provided on the front side of the left side surface 8 c of the in-body tray 8 when the in-body tray 8 is in a normal position. By projecting in the vicinity of the end, an engaging claw 17 that can be engaged with the recess 16 provided on the left side surface 2b of the in-body space 2 and an operation for projecting or storing the engaging claw 17 are performed. And an operation handle 18. Therefore, the fixing / releasing mechanism 10 fixes the in-body tray 8 in the normal position by projecting the engaging claw 17 and engaging with the concave portion 16 of the apparatus main body 3, and operates the operation handle 18 in the releasing direction. Then, the engagement claw 17 is housed inside the left side surface 8c of the in-body tray 8 to release the fixing (releasing operation) so that the in-body tray 8 can be moved to a lower position. It has become.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 5A, the fixing / releasing mechanism 10 has a rotating operation handle 18, which is converted into a linear motion and transmitted to the engaging claw 17. The engaging claw 17 is protruded or stored. Specifically, the fixing / releasing mechanism 10 is provided integrally with the rotation shaft 28 that rotates integrally with the operation handle 18 and the engaging claw 17, and in the vicinity of the tip of the rotation shaft 28, the rotation shaft 28, a slider 29 that slides in the axial direction, a return spring 30 that urges the slider 29 in the protruding direction of the engaging claw 17, and a protruding portion in the radial direction of the rotating shaft 28 in the vicinity of the tip of the rotating shaft 28. And a sliding pin 31 that swings according to the rotation of the rotating shaft 28, and is arranged on the engaging claw 17 so as to be inclined with respect to its operating direction (protruding or retracting direction). A guide groove 32 is formed in the groove, and the slide pin 31 is guided to operate. Here, when the engaging claw 17 is in the protruding state, the distal end of the sliding pin 31 is located at the proximal end portion 32 a of the guide groove 32 as shown in FIG. When the operating handle 18 is operated in the release direction and the sliding pin 31 swings in the same direction, the tip of the sliding pin 31 is guided in the guide groove 32 as shown in FIG. The engaging claw 17 moves backward so as to move relative to the tip 32b. As a result, the engaging claws 17 are in the retracted state, and the fixation of the in-body tray 8 is released.

(Support member)
As described above, the in-cylinder tray 8 is swingably supported by the back surface 2c of the in-cylinder space 2 by the support shaft 9, and the engagement claw 17 of the fixing / releasing mechanism 10 in the normal position thereof. The left side surface 2b is engaged and fixed. Therefore, when the fixing / releasing mechanism 10 is in the fixed state, the back surface 8 a and the left side surface 8 c of the in-body tray 8 in the normal position are fixed to the apparatus main body 3. However, with only these configurations for supporting the in-body tray 8, the free end of the in-body tray 8, that is, in this embodiment, the front surface 8e and the right side surface 8d, particularly the corner portions 8f that intersect with each other, are not at all. Since it is not supported, there is a problem that the in-body tray 8 may be deformed due to the weight of the paper placed on the in-body tray 8 or a change with time, and the unsupported part may hang down. . Therefore, in the present embodiment, the weight of the in-body tray 8 is supported at the free end of the in-body tray 8, specifically, in the vicinity of the corner 8f where the front surface 8e and the right side surface 8d of the in-body tray 8 intersect. A support member 19 is provided. Hereinafter, the configuration of the support member 19 will be described in detail.

  The support member 19 is a member that is provided at a free end of the in-body tray 8, in this case, near the corner 8 f where the front surface 8 e and the right side surface 8 d intersect, and supports the weight of the in-body tray 8 at the normal position. In order to allow the in-cylinder tray 8 to swing downward about the support shaft 9 and move to the lowered position in the event of a paper jam or the like, the in-cylinder tray 8 is swingably attached and retracted. It is possible. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the support member 19 is provided at the base end portion 19c so as to protrude in the vicinity of the front side end portion of the right side surface 8d of the in-body tray 8. The pivot shaft 20 is pivotally supported with respect to the pivot shaft 20. When the in-body tray 8 is in the horizontal normal position and the support member 19 is in the support position as shown in FIG. 4A, the support surface 19a at the tip of the support member 19 is in the in-cylinder space. 2 is in contact with the bottom surface 2a of the belt 2 and supports the weight of the paper placed on the in-body tray 8 and the placement surface 8b. Further, as shown in FIG. 4B, the support member 19 can move in the retracting direction by swinging counterclockwise about the swing shaft 20. Therefore, when the fixing / releasing mechanism 10 is released, the fixing / releasing mechanism 10 moves in the retracting direction by the weight of the in-body tray 8 acting in the longitudinal direction of the support member 19 or by manual operation of the user. As a result, as shown in FIG. 4B, the in-body tray 8 swings downward (counterclockwise in FIG. 4) to a position where it abuts against the bottom surface 2a of the in-body space 2 with the support shaft 9 as the center. Move to the descent position. The swing shaft 20 can naturally be provided on the support member 19 side.

  As described above, the support member 19 is pivotally supported by the in-cylinder tray 8 at the base end portion 19c thereof, and is formed at the front end portion so as to abut on the bottom surface 2a of the in-cylinder space 2. 19a and a sliding surface 19b having a substantially arc-shaped cross section formed continuously in a direction opposite to the retracting direction of the support surface 19a. Here, the retracting direction of the support member 19 or the support surface 19a is a direction in which the support member 19 swings and retracts, and the opposite direction is the clockwise direction in FIG. Therefore, the sliding surface 19b is continuously formed adjacent to the left side of the support surface 19a in FIG. As a result, when the support member 19 is in the support position, the support surface 19a abuts against the bottom surface 2a of the in-cylinder space 2 to stably support the in-cylinder tray 8, and the in-cylinder tray 8 is moved downward. Therefore, when the support member 19 is retracted, the sliding surface 19b slides with respect to the bottom surface 2a of the in-cylinder space 2 in a state where the weight of the in-body tray 8 acts in the longitudinal direction of the support member 19. While moving, the support member 19 swings in the retracting direction and retracts. Further, the support surface 19 a formed at the tip of the support member 19 is formed on the retracting direction side with respect to the vertically lower position of the swing shaft 20. This is because when the fixing by the fixing / releasing mechanism 10 is released and the weight of the in-body tray 8 acts in the longitudinal direction of the support member 19, the weight of the in-body tray 8 acts in a direction to retract the support member 19. It is what you do. The length of the support member 19 is such that the distance from the mounting portion to the support surface 19a with respect to the swing shaft 20 is from the swing shaft 20 to the bottom surface 2a of the in-cylinder space 2 when the in-car tray 8 is in the horizontal position. It is preferable to make it equal to the distance. In addition, although it can be set as arbitrary shapes about the shape of the other part of the supporting member 19, in order to avoid the protrusion of the latching | locking part 22 by the side of the in-body tray 8 of the biasing spring 21 mentioned later here A notch 27 is formed.

(Biasing means)
The support member 19 is urged in a direction opposite to the retracting direction by an urging spring 21 constituting an urging means. Here, the direction opposite to the retracting direction is the clockwise direction in FIG. 4 as described above. Thereby, when the in-body tray 8 swings downward about the support shaft 9 by its own weight and moves to the lowered position, the urging force of the urging spring 21 moves the in-body tray 8 via the support member 19. Therefore, abrupt movement of the in-cylinder tray 8 can be prevented, and an impact that collides with the bottom surface 2a of the in-cylinder space 2 can be mitigated. Further, when the in-body tray 8 is returned to the horizontal normal position, the support member 19 can be automatically returned to the support position by the urging force of the urging spring 21. The strength of the urging force of the urging spring 21 is preferably slightly weaker than the strength that balances the weight of the in-body tray 8 in consideration of the impact mitigating function when the in-body tray 8 is moved. In the present embodiment, the biasing spring 21 is a torsion coil spring. One arm of the biasing spring 21 by the torsion coil spring is fixed to the support member 19, and the other arm is fixed to the right side surface 8 d of the in-body tray 8. The fixing of these arms is performed by providing locking portions 22 that protrude from the respective fixing surfaces and lock the arms from the direction against the urging force. The spring type of the urging spring 21 is not limited to this, and other types of springs can naturally be used.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the present embodiment, the support member 19 is retracted in conjunction with the fixing / releasing mechanism 10. 6 and 7 are views showing an example of an interlocking mechanism between the support member 19 and the fixing / releasing mechanism 10. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the interlocking mechanism, and FIG. 7 is a side view of the interlocking mechanism. is there. In addition, the arrow which shows the operation direction of each member in these figures has shown the operation direction at the time of operating the fixing / release mechanism 10 and the support member 19 in a cancellation | release direction.

  This interlocking mechanism includes a first gear 23 provided coaxially with the rotation shaft 28 of the operation handle 18 of the fixing / releasing mechanism 10, and a second gear 24 provided coaxially with the swing shaft 20 of the support member 19. The rack 25 is configured to mesh with both the first gear 23 and the second gear 24. Here, the rack 25 is formed so that the side surface has a crank shape, and meshes with the lower side of the first gear 23 and the upper side of the second gear 24. Accordingly, when the operation handle 18 is rotated in the release direction (clockwise in FIG. 6 and counterclockwise in FIG. 7), the first gear 23 is also rotated in the same direction, and the rack 25 is accordingly released in the release direction (FIG. 6). Is moved to the left, and the second gear 24 is rotated in the release direction (counterclockwise in FIG. 6 and clockwise in FIG. 7), whereby the support member 19 is retracted. It is configured to swing and retreat in the direction. The rack 25 may be linear, and both the first gear 23 and the second gear 24 may be configured to mesh with the same side of the upper surface or the lower surface. Further, it is possible to use a normal gear instead of the rack 25.

  With this configuration, the support member 19 is retracted in conjunction with the user simply by operating the operation handle 18 of the fixing / releasing mechanism 10 in the releasing direction, so that the in-body tray 8 is moved. The operation of the user can be further simplified.

[Third Embodiment]
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the present embodiment, the support member 19 and the fixing / releasing mechanism 10 transmit a force only in the retracting direction of the supporting member 19 in conjunction with the releasing operation from the fixing / releasing mechanism 10 to the supporting member 19. It is set as the structure connected via. FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of an interlocking mechanism between the support member 19 and the fixing / releasing mechanism 10 according to the present embodiment. In addition, the arrow which shows the operation direction of each member in these figures has shown the operation direction at the time of operating the fixing / release mechanism 10 and the support member 19 in a cancellation | release direction.

  Here, the case where the one-way clutch 26 is used as the one-way transmission mechanism will be described. The one-way clutch 26 is provided at a connection portion between the support member 19 and the swing shaft 20 that connects the support member 19 and the second gear 24. However, the place where the one-way clutch 26 is provided is not limited to this, and may be provided in any place of the coupling mechanism between the support member 19 and the rotating shaft 28. By providing the one-way clutch 26, when the support member 19 moves in the retracting direction due to the weight of the in-body tray 8 or manual operation by the user, the operating handle 18 is operated in the direction opposite to the releasing direction. Even if it is done, it has a configuration that is not affected by it. Therefore, even if the operation handle 18 is operated to temporarily release the fixation / release mechanism 10 and then the operation handle 18 is operated in the direction opposite to the release direction by the user, the in-body tray 8 The support member 19 can be moved in the retracting direction by the weight of the user, the manual operation of the user, and the like, and the in-body tray 8 can swing and move downward.

  Further, here, an intermittent mechanism 33 is provided between the first gear 23, the rotation shaft 28 and the operation handle 18. This intermittent mechanism 33 transmits the rotation of the operation handle 18 to the first gear 23 only when the operation handle 18 is operated, and the first gear 23 is free to the rotating shaft 28 and the operation handle 18 at other times. This is a mechanism for achieving a state. In the present embodiment, the intermittent mechanism 33 has the following configuration. That is, the first gear 23 is rotatably supported with respect to the rotation shaft 28 and is fixed so as not to move in the axial direction of the rotation shaft 28. On the other hand, the operation handle 18 is fixed in the rotational direction with respect to the rotation shaft 28 and is slidable in the axial direction. And the uneven | corrugated | grooved part 33a engaged only in the state in which the operation handle 18 was pushed in to the 1st gear 23 side was each provided in the mutually opposing surface of the operation handle 18 and the 1st gear 23, and the operation handle 18 is the sliding The direction is biased by the biasing member 35 in a direction away from the first gear 23. Here, as the urging member 35, a compression spring is used in which one end is in contact with the operation handle 18 and the other end is in contact with a protruding portion 36 such as a pin protruding in the radial direction of the rotating shaft 28. Yes. As a result, when the operation handle 18 is pushed against the urging force of a spring or the like, the concave and convex portions 33a are engaged with each other to transmit the rotation of the operation handle 18 to the first gear 23, and the operation at other times. In a state where the handle 18 is not pushed in, the engagement of the concavo-convex portion 33a is released, the first gear 23 can freely rotate, and the support member 19 is not fixed. Therefore, when the operation handle 18 is not operated, the support member 19 can freely move in both the retracting direction and the direction of returning from the retracted state, and the relative position between the operation lever 18 and the support member 19 is achieved. Is prevented from deviating from the proper position and not returning to the original position.

  In the present embodiment, since the one-way clutch 26 is provided, the relative positional relationship between the first gear 23 and the second gear 24 and the support member 19 does not fall within a certain range. Therefore, instead of the rack 25 in the second embodiment, a gear train 34 is arranged for transmitting power between the first gear 23 and the second gear 24.

  The setting of the operation by the interlocking mechanism between the support member 19 and the fixing / releasing mechanism 10 here is that the engaging claw 17 of the fixing / releasing mechanism 10 is completely stored inside the in-body tray 8 and the fixing is released. It is preferable that the setting is such that the support member 19 slightly moves in the retracting direction from the support position. In order to achieve such a setting, specifically, by increasing the gear ratio between the first gear 23 and the second gear 24, the operation of the support member 19 with respect to the operation amount of the operation handle 18 is increased. A method of reducing the amount, a method of setting the operation mechanism of the engaging claw 17, that is, the guide groove 32 here, so that the operation amount of the engaging claw 17 is larger than the operation amount of the operation handle 18, is there. With this setting, even when the fixing / releasing mechanism 10 is released and the in-cylinder tray 8 can move downward, the support member 19 moves slightly in the retracting direction to move the in-cylinder space. 2 is slightly lifted from the bottom surface 2a of the body 2, and when the in-body tray 8 swings and moves downward, it moves to the lowered position against the urging force of the urging spring 21 of the support member 19. Since it moves, the impact of the in-body tray 8 colliding with the bottom surface 2a of the in-body space 2 can be reduced.

[Other Embodiments]
(1) In the first to third embodiments, the configuration in which the support member 19 is pivotally supported on the right side surface 8d of the in-body tray 8 has been described, but the mounting configuration of the support member 19 is limited to this. Any position can be used as long as the free end of the in-body tray 8 can be supported. Therefore, for example, the support member 19 can be attached to the front surface of the in-body tray 8 or attached to the lower surface of the in-body tray 8 via a bracket or the like.
(2) In the first to third embodiments, the configuration in which the support member 19 supports the weight of the in-cylinder tray 8 by contacting the bottom surface 2a of the in-cylinder space 2 has been described. It is also possible to adopt a configuration that supports the weight of the in-body tray 8 by abutting or engaging with other parts such as the in-body space 2 or the apparatus main body 3. Accordingly, for example, the weight of the in-body tray 8 can be supported by bringing the support member 19 into contact with or engaging with a protrusion or the like formed on the side surface of the in-body space 2.
(3) In the first to third embodiments, the in-cylinder tray 8 has a substantially rectangular flat plate shape substantially the same as the cross-sectional shape of the in-cylinder space 2, but is not limited thereto. Any shape may be used as long as it is a tray disposed in the in-body space 2.
(4) In the first to third embodiments, the in-body tray 8 is configured such that the back surface 8a is pivotally supported by the support shaft 9. Any surface may be used as long as it constitutes one side of the periphery of the inner tray 8. For example, in the case of the apparatus main body 3 having the in-cylinder space 2 whose front and right side surfaces are open as in the first or second embodiment. If present, the left side surface 8 c of the in-body tray 8 may be supported by the support shaft 9.
(5) In the first to third embodiments, the case where the urging means for urging the support member 19 in the direction opposite to the retracting direction has been described, but such an urging means is not provided. A configuration is also possible.

  The present invention can be suitably used for an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a facsimile machine, and a printer, and having a configuration in which a cylinder tray is disposed in a cylinder space of the apparatus main body.

1 is a perspective view showing an overall configuration of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a cylinder tray and a cylinder space around the cylinder tray of the image forming apparatus according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a plan view of an in-body tray of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a right side view of the in-cylinder tray and the in-cylinder space of the image forming apparatus according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a fixing / releasing mechanism of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating an example of an interlocking mechanism between a support member and a fixing / releasing mechanism of an image forming apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a side view illustrating an example of an interlocking mechanism between a support member and a fixing / releasing mechanism of an image forming apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustrating an example of an interlocking mechanism between a support member and a fixing / releasing mechanism of an image forming apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus 2 Cylinder space 3 Apparatus main body 8 Cylinder tray 9 Support shaft 10 Fixing / release mechanism 19 Support member 21 Biasing spring (biasing means)
26 One-way clutch (one-way transmission mechanism)

Claims (5)

  The weight of the in-cylinder tray at the normal position is arranged at the free end of the in-cylinder tray that is disposed in the in-cylinder space and is pivotally supported between the normal position and the lowered position. An image forming apparatus in which a support member that supports the image forming apparatus is provided so as to be swingable and retractable when the in-body tray is moved to the lowered position.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the support member is urged in a direction opposite to a retracting direction by an urging unit.   The in-body tray has a fixing / releasing mechanism that fixes and releases the apparatus main body, and the support member retracts in conjunction with a releasing operation of the fixing / releasing mechanism. Image forming apparatus.   The support member and the fixing / releasing mechanism are coupled via a one-way transmission mechanism that transmits force only in the retracting direction of the supporting member in conjunction with the releasing operation from the fixing / releasing mechanism to the supporting member. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3. The support member is pivotally supported by the in-cylinder tray at a base end portion thereof so as to be swingable, and has a planar support surface that is formed at a front end portion thereof and abuts a part of a surface surrounding the in-cylinder space; 5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus has a sliding surface having a substantially arc-shaped cross section that is continuously formed in a direction opposite to the retracting direction of the support surface. .

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